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Podcast: Saturday Morning with Jack Tame
Episode: Dr Dougal Sutherland: Are pets as good for our wellbeing as we like to think?
Description: There’s a common belief that having a pet is good for one’s wellbeing. You often hear stories about how looking into a dog’s eyes gives you an emotional boost or that using real and fake animals in rest homes boosts residents’ moods, but it turns out it’s not a guaranteed path to better mental health – reality is more nuanced.  Some studies do find that pet owners report lower anxiety and loneliness, and greater life satisfaction. However, other studies show no significant difference, and some have even found that pet owners actually reported lower wellbeing, in...